Spool valve pump



June 22, 1954 Filed April 18, 1949 TJUTWUS SPOOL VALVE PUMP 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 HVVENTUR.

THOMAS L. TITUS %mae ATTORNEY Patented June 22, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SPOOL VALVE PUMP Thomas L. Titus, Cheyenne, Wyo., assignor to Wyott Manufacturing Co., Inc., a Corporation of Wyoming Application April 18, 1949, Serial No. 88,173

invention relates to pumps having a pair of op- `posing chambers adapted to telescoping or plunger movement of one chamber with relation to the other, and each chamber having a centrally aligned port.

assembly of simple, durable and econo'mical con-` struction, in combination with such a pump, and

'which is readily removable for cleaning or other purposes.

Other and further objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a vertical cross-sectional incperative condition View of my novel pump secured to the cover of an open topped receptacle;

Figure 2 is a Vertical cross-sectional View of my pump during partial downward plunger stroke `operation thereof, showing operation oi my novel spool valve assembly during fluid discharge from the pump;

Figure 3 is also a vertical cross-sectional View of my pump but after the fiuid discharge stroke ?has been completed and the plunger has started to move upwardly under the action of the tension spring from a lowermost position, showing the operation of my novel spool valve assembly dur- .ing fluid refilling of the pump chamber;

Figure 4 is enlarged, fragmentet-y, cross-sectionai view of the upper end of my novel spool valve during inoperative condition.

Figure 5 is, similarly to Figure 4, an enlarged, ragmentary, cross-sectional View of the lower `end. of my novel spool valve during inoperatve condition. n

Referring to the drawings, the reference numeral l designates a suitable open mouth receptacle having aspaced inner liner wall 3, as illustrated, with suitable insulating between same. A cup 5, as illustrated, rests on a shoulder provided near the bottom of the wall 3, and is adapted to receive the fountain liquid, therein, A space between the bottom of the cup 5 and the adjacent wall 3 is purposely provided to be used for storage of a refrigerant material therein, such as Dry Ice, for preservation of the liquid syrup in the cup 5. A suitable removable cover 2 is provided across the open top of member 5. I secure my pump through an opening provided for the purpose in the cover 2, as by welding the upper outer flange of the tube 6 to the cover. Member 6 is a cylindrical tube, comprising a cup-cylinder chamber-member constructed with its lower end crimped inwardly to form a shoulder &a around a central longitudinal opening 2! at its lowermcst point. An extension pipe 'i extends downwardly from that opening 2! into the cup 5 to a point slightly above the bottom of the cup. Member 7 is sealed to that opening as by welding.

I will now proceed to explain the Construction of my novel pump and Valve which operate within the chamber 34 of the tube 6. I provide a plunger type, inverted cup shape, handle assembly, designated generally as H, the lower portion of which is constructed with a cavity or chamber 34a in opposing relationship to the chamber 34 of the tube 6, with a central outlet port 22 originatng in longitudinal alignment with the inlet port ZI and tube 'I of member 6. A shoulder 9b is also provided, as illustrated, around that port 22 the same as around the inlet port 21. The plunger is designated as :member 3, having a hollow extension 9, to form a cup-pluhger chamber-member, of a size in diameter so as to be adapted for piston-sealed plunger movement of 9 longitudinally within member E. The outlet opening 22 mentioned extends upwardly into the center of the pisten E a short distance and then at an angle out the side thereof, as illustrated, the said angular portion being designated as !8. The top of the plunger a is constructed with a removable upper projection It, secured to the remainder of the plunger by a suitable screw pin H, as will be understood. A guide bar !2 is secured between members 8 and. i i and is provided with an opening designed to fit loosely over a guide post 15. Projection o is secured rigidly to plunger 8, by means of threaded pin H, and

with the Washer portion of bar !2 being secured around pin ll and between members 8 and te. Bar !2 comprises a rigid part of the plunger assembly, and, obviously, as the plunger :is operated the projected end thereof adjacent post i& slides along saidpost, thus acting to Support the handle assembly H as used. To further assist in that support of the plunger by the bar !2, a set key !4 is inserted through a suitable opening for the purpose in :2, adjacent pin ll, and into another opening for the purpose in the adjoining surface of 8, as illustrated, before member ID is screwed onto pin I I, to act as means for looking the bar |2 from rotating on the axis of the pin ll. Post !5 is weldecl rigidly to cover 2. A pair of lock nuts [6 arethreaded onto post !5 which is screw threaded to receive them, for reasons to be explained. A stop nut !1 is threaded onto the top of post !5, after the inner spool valve assembly has been placed in chambers 34 and the handle assembly or plunger has been inserted in place, for reasons also to be explained. A suitable spout [9 is placed snugly within so as to eXtend the opening at one side of the top portion of the member B, for directing the fluid discharge from the pump during downward stroke of the plunger, as will be explained.

My novel spool valve-assembly, used in combination with said opposing pair of telescoping cuplike chambers, comprises a pair of oppcsing spring cage washers 3l, adapted to hold a suitable tension coil spring 32 therebetween, as illustrated, each Washer having a longitudinally aligned central orifice 3nt. Extending longitudinally within the spring and through said orices is a round shaft 28, each end of which is reduced in size to form a'shoulder adiacent each end, and a round collar 30 is suitably rigidly Secured onto each reduced end thereof, as by burring each end after the collar is' in place. Each collar 33 is slightly lessin diameter than the inside diameter of the tube l, or inlet valve port, and that of the outlet port at the top of the valve, to pernit liquid to pass therebetween each, as will be explained. In assembly of my valve, a collar is first Secured to oneend of the shaft 20, then a Washer 3l, with its cage portion extending inwardly, is next placed onto the shaft, then the spring 32 is placed over the shaft, then a gravity flash check Washer valve 33 is slidably inserted onto the shaft 29, then the other washer 3! is placed over the shaft and against the spring, with its cage portion opposing that of the first spring cage Washer, and then the other collar is placed onto the other 'end of the shaft and burred onto the shaft against the compression' resistance of the spring 32, thus making a spool valve, spring and cage assembly as a unit. As will be more ully explained, spring 32 is of sufiicient strength to normally 'press and hold upper cage Washer 3! against its adjacent collar 30, against the Weight of' the plunger H, after assembly and during inoperative pump condition illustrated in Figure 1.

Each collar 39; being larger than the shaft 25,

has a bevelled surface Sila, formed on the inner edge of each collar where each extendsfrom the shaft, for purpose of acting as a valve contact surface against its adjacent orifice sia, of the adjacent spring cage Washer 31, as a result of the outwardly expanding tension pressur normally eXerted-by the spring 32 against each spring cage Washer 31, asfurther illustrated in Figure 1. The'central orice ata, of each spring cage washer 3I, is round in contour', and of a size slightly larger' than the diameter of the shaft 20 but smaller than the outer diameter of the co1lars 39. Each opposing peripheral shoulder Sa, adjacent the inlet port at the bottom of the valv chamber, and Sb also adjacent the outlet port at the top of the valve chamber, as illustrated, is formed and designed to act as a seat against which the outside of each respective spring cage Washer 3! contacts for purpose of forming another valve sea at each of those peripheral surfaces; Flash check Washer 33 is a flat, reas'onably tight fit, slidably mounted Washer, and is free to move along the shaft 20, between washers 3l, for reasons to be explained Each end of my novel spool valve assembly, 2e 3u-3n 3 3 32-33, is identical, and, therefore, in pump assembly either end thereof may be placed upwardly, and should the flash check valve 33` thereof not be down at the lower end of the shaft 20, upon insert of the spool valve assembly into 'the chamber 34, then said flash check Washer will slide' downwardly by gravity on that shaft as iilustrated in Figur-e l. Flash check Washer 33 assists the-lower one of spring cage Washers 3I, in certain valve operation, as will be explained relative to down plunger strok-e. I construct the parts` just described, so that in the position illustrated in Figure 1, the valve stern or shaft has a colla'r at one end extending downwardly into the intake port 2l, and with the collar at the other end thereof extending upwardly into the outlet port 22. Each port and collar, respectively, is of like diameter to the opposing pair thereof. The speed of discharge flow of cream; for: instance, from the chanber through the upper or outlet port 22, is directly' controlled, in proportion to the pressure created by dcvmwardiplunger movement within' the' chambers S i-Ma, by the clearance or peripheral space provided for that purpose between the outer surface of the upper spool collar 30' and'the inner surface of the adjacent outlet port 22. I find it preferable to limit that clearance space so that. the operator cannot operate the pump with too greata force and expel the liquid as a result too rapidly, to prevent splashing and Wasting of liquid as discharged from the spout.

When the pump has been assembled, by inserting the entirespoolvalve assembly as a unit, previously described, into lower chamber 34,` and then placing the plunger handle H assembly, with its chamber & ia of member 8 in opposing relationship with that of member 6 and over said spool valve assembly, and with the opening of the guide bar !2 placed to slidably operate over guide post !5, then stop nut !l is Secured to the top of that post above tha-t bar l2, as illustrated. Post !5 is sufficient in length, as illustrated in Figure 1, so that when stop ll is seated it does not cause spring 32 to be compressed by eXer-ting any downward pressure on assembly H through member 12, but permits complete expansion movement of the spring 32 as controlledby opposing bevelled surfaces %a of the collars 30 through the spring cage washers 31. Thus it will be seen, in said noperative pump condition,

illustrated in Fgure 1, a primary lower valve chamber gravity seal. is effected between lower shoulder Qa and its adjacent spring cage Washer, as Will be explained. A secondary lower valve seal is also efiected in such inoperative'condition between. lowe'ed bevelled surface sua and its adjacent orifice am due to spring tension, as shown in Figures 1 and 5. In that inoperative position, flash check valve Washer 33, slidably operable on shaft 20 effects a gravity valve seal around the shaft 29 and between that shat and the horizontal upper or inside portion of lower spring cage Washer 3l as illustrated in Figur-es 1 and 5, acting as anauxiliary valve seal to said secondary seal for assisting the seal between the lower collar bevelled surface :wa and its adjacent openin 3Ia. During said inoperative position, it will thus be seen that the' chambers are held full of liquid by the seals between 'lower 3`0a and ala, assisted by the seal by 33 between 20' and 31, and between lower shoulder &a and 3l. Referring to my novel spool valve assembly as a unit, it will be noted, by reference to Figure 1, that each upper and lower spool collar 38 normally acts as a valve seal with its adjacent spring cage Washer central orifice sla, due to the expansion pressur of the spring longitudinally outwardly of the spool against each spring cage washer. The weight of the plunger assembly H, on top of the spool valve assembly, normally acts to efiect a valve seal between each shoulder Sa, &b and its adjacent spring cage Washer outer surface at each end of the spool valve, due to the spring constantly normall pressing the cage washers outwardly against said collars 30. My novel spool valve comprises one conposite unit, upon taking the pump apart for any reason, thus simplfying cleaning thereof and reassernbly of the pump. Upon assembly of the pump, the spool valve assembly may be reversed, so that the previously positioned bottom Washer 3! becomes the top one. To remove the plunger H the nut !T is removed, and then the entire valve, 30, 31, 20, 33, 31, 32 and t), adhering together as a unit, is removed.

The outwardiy oblique portion of the outlet port, designated as I 8, acts as a stop, during operation of the pump, upon upward movement of the shaft 253, as will be explained. Upon downstroke of the handle H, upon pressure applied to the portion !e against the tension of spring 32, plunger portion 8, which acts as a pisten snugly operable within cylinder 6, acts to compress the liquid within chambers 34--34a, and thereby forces the liquid therein upwardly into the upper outlet port and out spout s, as illustrated in Figure 2. During that downstroke of 8, first the liquid presses upwardly against upper collar 30, raising the spool, 3ll --2fl--3fi, upwardly as the liquid rises into and out the outlet port, due to the limited space between the said upper collar and adjoining discharge channel wall. Said upward movement of the shaft 20, caused by the liquid fiowing out the discharge channel, is limited when its upper collar 30 strikes oblique portion IS of the outlet port; and then as the plunger continues in its downward stroke, during which fluid is continued to be pressed upwardly and out the top of outlet port, said further downward movement of the plunger assembly H car'ies the said shaft 2%) down with it, with upper collar 30 held against said portion Ia. During the down- Wa'd plunger stroke, as illustrated in Figure 2, flash check valve Washer 33 acts to seal the fluid within the opposing chambers 34-34a from escaping downwardly out the lower orifice 3la of lower Washer 35. Upon reaching the downward limit of plunger stroke in that direction, and as may be limited by a prior upward setting of lock washers IS, and upon a release of downward pressure on the handle H, then expansion of spring 32 takes place and causes the plunger 8 to rise. During the beginning of that rising or upward motion of the plunger the shaft 20 falls by gravity, due to overall expansion of chambers 34-34& releasing upward fluid pressure, and shalt za falls until its beveled'edge tua, of its upper collar ae, rests on its adjacent orifice 3a, of the upper spring cage Washer 31, thereby forming an upper valve seal. Thereby upon continuance of the upward or return spring actuated plunger stroke, and during the remainder of that stroke, a vacuum suction is created within the valve chambers 34--34a as plunger 8 moves upwardly or out of cylinder 6, causing fluid from the supply cup 5 to be sucked up into tube 1 and from that tube upwardly, between lower orifice ela and the shaft 20, into the chambers 34-34a, until the limit of that return stroke is reached, as defined by the lower spring cage Washer orifice 3la, seating against its adjacent collar bevelled surface 30a. That seating, between the lower cage washer 3! and its adjacent lower collar surface alla, occurs when the spring has raised the plunger H far enough, and at the same time the spring, through the upper cage Washer and its collar, has also raised shaft 20, so that and When said spring has extended itself the full limit of the distance it is normally confined in inoperative pump condition between the cage washers 31, by the opposing cage washers 3! being held by and between opposing collars 30. That seating occurs when shaft 28 is so raised until lower %a meets lower 3la. That upward chanber relling liquid flow, just described,

causes a liquid upper flow friction against the under side of flash check valve Washer 33 and effects a lifting of 33 along shaft 20, as illustrated in Figure 3. When spring 32 has then fully expanded to its limit, as illustrated in Figure l, and as controlled by opposing surfaces 30a, then upward plunger stroke is completed, and then the expansible tension of the spring, exerted through each spring cage Washer 31, effects a valve seal, at each end of the spool valve, between each bevelled surface wa and its adjacent orifice 3Ia of respective adjacent spring cage washers ai, thereby scaling the fluid within the chambers 34-34. As previously explained, the weight of the assembly H, accentuated by the weight of the spring cage spool assembly, acts to efiect the seal between lower shoulder sa and the outside of its adiacent Washer 3l, since, as explained, the spring transmits the weight of plunger' H to that lower cage Washer. After completion of upward piunger stroke, flash valve 33 falls down onto the lower cage Washer 31, as in Figure 1, and then acts as an auxiliary inoperative position valve seal, as explained. said auxiliary valve scaling, 33, becomes part of the primary lower valve sealing means upon downward plunger operation.

The quantity of fluid capable of being discharged from chambers 34-34a can be limited by limiting the length of plunger stroke, by adjustment of companion lock washers !8 on guide post !5. It is also to be noted that said lock washers I 6 can be adjusted to a point at the extreme upper end of said post so that the arm !2 is pressed upwardly against nut ll, theereby preventing operation of the pump and in that position comprising looking means.

My novel pump and valve combination is simple and economical to manufacture, easily and efficiently operable, and can be easily taken apart and cleaned by one inexperienced in the art and reassembled without a chance or erroneous assembly due to too many disconnected or isolated parts. My novel spool valve assembly, when taken out of the pump, remains together as one unit, and as such is easily cleaned in such unitary condition, and is easily reinsertible in the pump.

Having thus shown and described a :modification of my invention, it is to be understood that many changes may be made therein without deviating from the spirit of my invention, and, therefore, I wish to be distinctly understood. as being limited in my invention only by the appended claims.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In combination, a reciprocating vertical pump and spool valve assernbly, conprising, a stationary upright cup-cylinder chamber-member having a central intake port at the lower end thereof, a shoulder around said port and a supply pipe extending downwardly from said port, a 'encvable and slidably reciprocating inverted cup-plunger chamber member telescopically operable Vertically with relation to said cylindermember and having a central discharge port with a second shoulder around said discharge port at the upper end thereof, said discharge port having a channel extending same in alignment with the intake port and pipe, and a reversible spool valve assembly unit renovably resting within the cylinder and plunger chamber-members and comprising, a uniform cylindrical shaft having a pair of identical coilars Secured each to an end thereof, an identical pair of spring cage washers and a gravity flash check Washer valve placed between said cage washers, each of said washers being slidable on said shaft and between said collars, and a coil spring compressibly held around said shaft and between said spring cage washers by said cage washers, said shaft and collars comprising a spool adapted for confining the washers between said collars, said spring being adapted to normally press each Washer against its respective collar in a first valve scaling relationship, the outside of each spring cage Washer being adapted to seat against one of said shoulders in a second valve scaling relationship, said second valve scaling relationship being efiected by the weight of the plunger causing a seal between each shoulder and its adjacent spring cage Washer, said collars being of uniform diameter and said diameter being less than the internal diameter of each of the supply pipe and also of the discharge port channel, one of said collars being positioned within said pipe and the other thereof being positioned within said channel, said gravity check valve Washer being sealingly and gravity-slidably-rnounted over and along said shaft between said spring cage washers and having an external diameter larger than the internal diameter of each of the openings of the spring cage washers, whereby, upon compression of said spring upon down-plunger stroke, the gravity check valve Washer assists in effecting the lowermost of said first valve sealings, and upward fluid discharge effected by said stroke causes a fluid fricticn against the uppermost of said collars and thereby raises said spool with its upper collar well upward into said discharge channel and thereby opening said discharge port, and whereby upon discontinuance of said plunger downstroke, substantially before the start of spring actuated plunger upstroke, said spool falls by gravity lost motion into a first valve scaling upper sealrelationship with the upper one of said spring cage washers for effecting thereafter a suction refill of said chambers by said plunger upstroke, said fluid friction raising motion of the spool and said lost motion gravity falling of the spool are each effected Without any direct immediate connection between the spool and the rest of the spool valve assembly unit and also without such connection between the spool and the cylinder and plunger members.

2. A pump spool valve assembly, adapted for vertical use, comprising a cylindrical shaft, a gravity operable flash check valve slidable over said shaft, a coil tension spring positioned around said flash check valve and over said shaft and of an extendecl length longer than the shaft, a pair of opposing spring cage washers each having a central opening loosely slidable over said shaft and one at each end of the spring, and a pair of spool collars Secured one atone end of the shaft and the other of said collars Secured to the other end of said shaft, the spring being compressed on the shaft between said spring cage washers, and the flash check valve positioned between said spring cage washers, said washers being adapted to compressibly confine the spring therebetween, said collars being adapted to confine the washers therebetween, and at a point of confinement contact of each collar with its adjacent Washer to eect a removable liquid valve seal, and each of said collars being adapted to effect said valve seal externally of its adjacent spring cage Washer central opening.

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